Proposed Mobile smoking ban would allow bars to opt out

View full sizeMobile City Councilman William Carroll is sponsoring a smoking ban that would allow bar owners to opt in or out.

MOBILE, Alabama -- An ordinance soon to be considered by the Mobile City Council would bar smoking in virtually all public spaces and places of employment in the city.

The most notable exception to the ban would be bars serving patrons age 21 or older.

Bar owners could choose for themselves whether to allow smoking. Signs indicating whether smoking is OK would be required near the entrances.

Smoking at restaurants would be permitted in outdoor spaces, provided that the outdoor space is 25 feet from the entrance.

The ordinance is expected to appear on the council’s Jan. 10 agenda, but may not come to a vote until Jan. 17.

Councilman William Carroll is sponsoring the ordinance, a draft of which was provided to the Press-Register. "Hardly anybody wants to eat their food around someone who is smoking anymore," he said. "Practically the whole country is trying to go smoke free."

Carroll said that the ordinance is fair to smokers because it allows them a social outlet where they can smoke.

The City Council has discussed a smoking ban in the past only to pull up short of actually passing one. Carroll said that his ordinance is the first fully-fledged effort to make it this far in the process.

Carroll has sought input from Dr. Bernard Eichold, who leads the Mobile County Health Department and is an outspoken opponent of smoking in public places.

Eichold said Tuesday that he hopes the ordinance will soon pass. "I cannot anticipate what the political process will bring, but when more than 70 percent of the people don’t smoke it seems reasonable to limit exposure to second-hand smoke," he said.

"Other than the beneficial effects of generating revenue, I can find no real value in the smoking of tobacco. It has no positive impact on our society," Eichold said. "I am optimistic that science, knowledge and common sense will prevail."

Mayor Sam Jones said that there is no doubt that Mobile needs to tighten its restrictions on where people can light up. "Today, you just have to," he said.

Nevertheless, the mayor said any regulations need to consider smokers’ rights.

"I think that this is something we are going to have to look at very closely and examine the ramifications for all of our citizens," he said.